Change is in the air! Can you smell it?

Change is in the air! Can you smell it? Many of us are still high off of one of the biggest changes we will ever experience: Barack Obama’s inauguration. I wasn’t able to attend the inaugural events, but as I sat glued to my television screen I felt an energy that I knew would have been 10 times greater if I had been there. Inspired by one man’s accomplishment, millions of people descended upon Washington D.C. motivated to be a part of history, and many went through great lengths to be there. There were reports of people who slept in office buildings, participated in contests, traveled cross country by bus or car. People did whatever they needed to get to Washington, DC.

Are you willing to do whatever it takes to create change in your own life? As hard as it may be for you to grasp this concept, you have the ability to do what Obama just did. Obama was a man who obviously had a goal in mind. He didn’t get to where he was going overnight, he worked at it. He was not stopped by those people who told him he couldn’t win a presidential election. He didn’t even let threats against his life deter him.

You can do the same. However, it takes undying passion, work, and faith. Often times we don’t allow ourselves to reach our pinnacle of success because when that first road block comes along, we turn around. We listen to the people who say it can’t be done and we give up.

Sometimes the going just gets too tough and we give in. Even if things look impossible, you have to believe that it can be done and usually that requires changing your thoughts.

There is a door in my apartment building that locks after a certain time. If the light is green the door is unlocked and you can just walk in. If the light on the door is red then you need a key to enter the building. If you reach the building after the light has turned red ,or if you have not been given a key to the door, then you are out of luck. One day I went downstairs to the door, it was during a time that the door should have been unlocked, so I didn’t bring my key. When I got to the door, the light was red! Assuming it was locked because that’s what it looked like; I turned around and walked away. Dreading the trek all the way back up stairs, I got half way down the hall and decided to turn around. I went to the door and viola, it was open!

What if I had left? I wouldn’t have made it to my destination that day. Sometimes things look a certain way, but things are not always as they seem. Many thought that in their lifetime, they would never see an African American elected as president of the United States. Remember, there were at least 43 visible reasons for Obama to believe he could not be the 44th President of the United States and that things would not change, but they did!

So if you are at a point in your life where you are looking to do something different or wanting to see change, I encourage you invoke the spirit of Obama knowing that just like him, “Yes you Can!”